Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543552
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MARCH 2026 NEWS COURT NOTICE The Registrar of Civil Courts and Tribunals informs that the Civil Court, First Hall ordered the following sales by auction: Date Time Judicial Sale No Place Items 18 th March, 2026 11.00am 1/26 – KRZ Bezzina Ship Repair Yard Limited (C8570) Vs Dr Charmaine Cherrett et noe Room number 78 nearby the Archives, Level -1, Courts of Justice, Republic Street, Valletta Vessel named M/V Turu with official number IMO 8408777, registered in Panama, Call Sign HP4694, gross tonnage of 457 tons, length of 52.61 meters and a width of 8.6 meters, built in 1985. Further details can be obtained from the website: https://ecourts.gov.mt/onlineservices/JudicialSales The bidders taking part in the auction must present their identity card Gaetana Aquilina For the Registrar Civil Courts and Tribunals EU unlocks funding for safe abortion travel but it's a long road for Maltese women THE European Commission has said existing EU funding programmes can be used to support access to safe abortion care, especially for women in vulnerable situations. THE clarification followed the commission's decision not to create a new funding mecha- nism to expand abortion access across Europe as requested by pro-choice activists. The re- quest was made after 1.2 mil- lion citizens from all EU coun- tries backed the My Voice, My Choice initiative. In its deliberations, the com- mission said a new framework was "not necessary" because support can already be given through existing EU funds. One of these is the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), a €142.7 bil- lion kitty mainly used for jobs and social services. The ruling means that countries can use this fund, in line with their na- tional laws, to help women trav- el abroad for safe abortion care. Abortion legislation is a na- tional competence. This is why Malta remains the only EU country where abortion is ille- gal bar the limited exception when a woman's life is in grave danger. Given that abortion in Malta remains a criminal offence pun- ishable by prison for both the woman and her doctor, it is very unlikely the government will use EU funds to finance abor- tion care travel. So, how will the commission's ruling impact women who live in Malta? Former MEP Cyrus Engerer told MaltaToday that Maltese individuals and NGOs depend on other countries choosing to use their funding in this way. "It is up to each government to decide how to use the funding, based on the plan they submit- ted to the European Commis- sion," he said. "Some countries have said they will use part of their funding to support wom- en travelling there for abortion services." Engerer said one advantage of the commission's decision is speed. Since it uses an existing fund, there is no need to cre- ate a new one, which will take time. Governments only need to finalise their projects and get them approved. After that, women could access support through Maltese NGOs. Abortion rights activist and academic Isabel Stabile, a gy- naecologist, said the details are still unclear. She believes the ruling is unlikely to help wom- en who order abortion pills. In 2025 alone, 667 abortion pills were sent to Malta. She said women who need pills may still face practical prob- lems, such as arranging child- care or taking time off work, which could limit the benefit of the funding. Stabile said those most likely to benefit are women who find out their foetus has a serious or fatal condition, often discov- ered at around 20 weeks. She argued that despite Mal- ta's strict abortion laws, the government could still apply for ESF+ funding. Stabile sug- gested the government apply for the funding but limit it to cases involving serious or fatal foetal conditions. "I believe the government should consider applying for the funding but re- strict its use to cases within this latter group. The funds could be used to support travel abroad for medical care, ensuring that women can access necessary services without breaching Maltese law." If the government does not apply, Stabile said, activists may try to access funding through projects led by other countries and act as intermediaries to support Maltese women. "If the government chooses not to pursue this approach, it should be aware that we would consider applying for funding through initiatives led by other countries and potentially act as an intermediary to ensure that affected women still receive support," she said. Nine countries wrote to the European Commission sup- porting the original proposal: Spain, Slovenia, France, Aus- tria, Poland, Luxembourg, Esto- nia, Sweden and Finland. In theory, any of these coun- tries could create projects that allow Maltese NGOs to apply for funding. But this also adds another step for Maltese wom- en seeking access to abortion care. Meanwhile, the Life Network Foundation, which is opposed to abortion, cited serious con- cerns about the commission's decision, arguing that allowing member states to draw on the European Social Fund (ESF) to facilitate abortion travel risks reshaping the original purpose of the fund. LAURA CALLEJA lcalleja@mediatoday.com.mt European Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib (left) and European Social Rights Commissioner Roxana Minzatu explaining that existing EU funds can be used to ensure travel for safe abortion care (Photo: Claudio Centonze/European Commission) Campaigners celebrating on Thursday after the European Commissions decision (Photo: My Voice, My Choice/Facebook)